Do you know that the value of the Microsoft brand, according to the last Interbrand survey of brand value?

The value of Microsoft brand, according to the Interbrand study, is US$65,068,000,000. That's a lot of brand value, for a company that no one actually likes. And that's exactly our point. How can Microsoft brand be worth so much? Aren't brands supposed to be about 'intangibles' and 'goodwill'? These may be old fashioned terms when compared to the language of the latest brand gurus, but brands, after all, are about perceptions. Or are they?

The Interbrand brand valuation model is made up of four elements:

All this seems to be a little too close to accounting alchemy for us. But on the whole Interbrand do seem to get it right. The top 10 include such well respected brands such as Coca Cola, GE, Intel, Disney, Ford and McDonald's (OK, not everyone loves McDonald's but at least there are some of us that still love Big Mac!).

But Microsoft? We beg to differ.